Development, validation and measurement of patient satisfaction questionnaire in Spanish in drive thru services adapted to hospital pharmacies during COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: There are no validation studies on patient satisfaction surveys in Spanish that can evaluate a hospital pharmacy drive-thru service. Objective: To develop and apply a pharmacy drive-thru satisfaction survey in Spanish during the COVID-19 pandemic with an analysis of the instrument validation. Methods: This was a qualitative study for developing, validating, and measuring patient satisfaction who used the drive-thru pharmacy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Content validity was obtained by a two-round Delphi and patient interview for apparent validity. The questionnaire was administered to 110 patients. The researchers made an item reduction by inter-item and item-total correlation analysis, stability validation by a test-retest, a test of reliability by Cronbach's alpha, and extraction of factors by an exploratory factorial analysis. Likewise, confirmatory factor analysis was developed to obtain a structural equation model based on generating an instrument of two sub-models of latent factors (service and place) with ten observed variables (items). Results: A questionnaire was developed that relates six observable variables to the latent factor service and four observable variables to the latent factor place which are ten items based on a Likert scale from 1 to 5, obtaining a Cronbach's alpha = 0.901. The mean population satisfaction score was 4.523. The model presented a Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) of 0.026 (0.000-0.098), and standardized beta values greater than 0.2 according to the confirmatory factor analysis. Therefore, the goodness-of-fit of our model is consistent and the instrument of patient satisfaction with the use of drive-thru has been validated. Patient satisfaction had a mean of 4.9 points. Conclusions: This study developed and validated a reliable scale that evaluates satisfaction in a hospital pharmacy drive-thru service during COVID-19 pandemic that can be applied in other Spanish speaking countries. A great percentage of the patients that were evaluated had good satisfaction.

Effect of Vitamin D3 Supplementation vs. Dietary-Hygienic Measures on SARS-CoV-2 Infection Rates in Hospital Workers with 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3] Levels ≥20 ng/mL.

Background: There is scant information on the effect of supplementation with vitamin D3 in SARS-CoV-2 infection cases when patient 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3] levels are between 20-100 ng/mL. We aimed to evaluate the effect of supplementation with vitamin D3 vs. dietary-hygienic measures on the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate in participants with serum 25(OH)D3 levels ≥20 ng/mL. Methods: This study was quasi-experimental. We invited hospital workers with 25(OH)D3 levels between 20-100 ng/mL and no previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. They were randomized as follows: treatment options were a) vitamin D3 supplementation (52,000 IU monthly, G1) or b) dietary-hygienic measures (G2). We conducted a 3- to 6-month follow-up of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Participants with 25(OH)D3 levels <20 ng/mL were also analyzed. We divided these latter participants depending on whether they were supplemented (G3) or not (G4). Results: We analyzed 198 participants, with an average age of 44.4 (SD 9) years, and 130 (65.7%) were women. G1 had fewer cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection than G2 after a follow-up of 3- to 6-months (p < 0.05). There were no differences between G3 and G4 at the 3- and 6-month follow-up cutoff points (p > 0.05). Using a mixed effect Cox regression analysis in the 164 participants that completed six months of follow-up, vitamin D3 supplementation appeared to act as a protective factor against SARS-CoV-2 infection (HR 0.21, p = 0.008) in G1 and G2. None of the participants treated with the supplementation doses had serum 25(OH)D3 levels >100 ng/mL. Conclusions: Vitamin D3 supplementation in participants with 25(OH)D3 levels between 20-100 ng/mL have a lower rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared with the use of dietary-hygienic measures at six months follow-up.

Effect of Digital-Tool-Supported Basal Insulin Titration Algorithm in Reaching Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in Mexico.

BACKGROUND: My Dose Coach (MDC) is a mobile application combined with a web portal that can suggest optimized basal insulin (BI) injection doses using Self-Measured Plasma Glucose (SMPG) and hypoglycemia data. This study aimed to evaluate its efficacy on patients reaching SMPG and Fasting blood glucose (FBG) target range 90-130 mg/dl (5-7.2 mmol/L) goals without severe hypoglycemic episodes. We also addressed the mean reduction in glycated hemoglobin (A1C), FBG, and SMPG and the improvement in the WHO's Five Well Being Index (WBI). METHODS: This prospective pilot study involved the use of MDC in outpatients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) from a Hospital in Northern Mexico. Patients on treatment with any BI were included in the study. The follow-up was of 16 weeks. Student t-tests or McNemar test were used for effect comparisons. RESULTS: We included 158 patients (46.8% women), mean (SD) age 51 (10.3) years. We achieved SMPG target range in 58.9% [mean (95CI) reduction of 30.9 mg/dl (22.5-37.7; P < .001)] of the patients [66(28) days], with no severe hypoglycemia events. FBG goal was reached in 55.7% [mean (95CI) reduction of 63.4 mg/dl (49.6-77.2; P < .001)]. The mean (95CI) reduction of A1C was 1.78% (1.47-2, P < .01) with the last observation carried forward. There was a mean (95CI) increase of 2.23 (-3, -1.4, P < .01) points in WBI scale. CONCLUSIONS: MDC successfully helped to achieve FBG and SMPG goals, reduced A1C, and increased WBI with no severe hypoglycemia events.

Viral load and its relationship with the inflammatory response and clinical outcomes in hospitalization of patients with COVID-19.

Background: The values of viral load in COVID-19 disease have gained relevance, seeking to understand its prognostic value and its behavior in the course of the disease, although there have been no conclusive results. In this study we sought to analyze serum viral load as a predictor of clinical outcome of the disease, as well as its association with inflammatory markers. Methods: An observational and retrospective study in a private hospital in North Mexico, patients with SARS-COV-2 infection confirmed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were followed through clinical outcome, viral load measurement, quantification of inflammatory markers and lymphocyte subpopulations. For the analysis, multiple regression models were performed. Results: We studied 105 patients [47 (SD 1.46) years old, 68.6% men]. After analysis with multiple regression models, there was an association between viral load at admission and vaccination schedule (ß-value=-0.279, p= 0.007), age (ß-value= 0.010, p = 0.050), mechanical ventilation (ß-value= 0.872, p = 0.007), lactate dehydrogenase (ß-value= 1.712, p= 0.004), D-dimer values at admission (ß-value= 0.847, p= 0.013) and subpopulation of B lymphocytes at admission (ß-value= -0.527, p= 0.042). There was no association with days of hospitalization, use of nasal prongs or high flux mask. Peak viral load (10 days after symptoms onset) was associated with peak IL-6 (ß-value= 0.470, p= 0.011). Peak viral load matched with peak procalcitonin and minimal lymphocyte values. C-reactive protein peak was before the peak of viral load. The minimum value viral load was documented on day 12 after symptom onset; it matched with the minimum values of IL-6 and ferritin, and the peak of D-dimer. Conclusions: SARS-COV-2 admission viral load is associated with vaccination status, mechanical ventilation, and different inflammatory markers.

Comparison of Genetic Variants and Manifestations of OTUD6B-Related Disorder: The First Mexican Case.

The intellectual disability syndrome characterized by seizures and dysmorphic features was initially described in 2017 and was associated with genetic variants in the OTUD6B gene, identified by exome sequencing (ES) in a large cohort. This multisystem disorder primarily affects the central nervous system, the gastrointestinal, and the skeletal systems. In this article, we describe the first Mexican patient diagnosed by ES. The homozygous c.433C>T (p.Arg145*) variant of the OTUD6B gene confirmed this intellectual disability syndrome. In addition to seizures and other more frequently reported manifestations of this condition, this is the third patient with associated hypothyroidism and hypogammaglobulinemia, underscoring the value of screening for these conditions in other patients. The current challenge with this patient is to ensure medical management of his seizures and provide him with a better quality of life. The possibilities of additional therapeutic approaches may increase by understanding the physiopathology of the involved pathways.